Remembering Florian Schneider, Who Brought Sonic Perfectionism and Humor to Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk was supposed to be the man machine, the ultimate fusion of culture and technology. The band’s use of electronic instruments in pop-song form paved the way for those that followed, an influence felt from Detroit techno to London grime, from Kanye to Coldplay. This was a unit whose music would live on via automation long after its human incarnation had departed the natural realm. And yet the death of Florian Schneider—the band’s co-founder, sonic perfectionist, and erstwhile flute player—still hurts like hell.